Awakening
by AlQaholic
Summary: Sometimes finding inner peace isn't as easy as you think. You don't always get it the way you want.


_**This story is an expansion on my discontinued fic "A Most Dangerous Game". It contains some pieces from there. If you want to look at the original draft it's on my profile. This takes place after KFP 2.**_

* * *

Po plucked a mature white button mushroom from the forest floor and examined it. It still had some dew on it from early in the morning.

"Yep, this looks like the right one. Just a few more."

Reaching down, Po grabbed another from the area and placed it in his basket; he was a quite a ways down from the village. Not at his usual searching spot but the things he was looking for didn't seem to be growing much elsewhere at the moment. He was out gathering roots and mushrooms by a trail for his father like he usually did when he worked full-time for him. Every now and then Po would stop by and do a few favors when his hands were free but ever since he became Dragon Warrior his job of protecting the Valley kept him ever busy. Too busy in fact, but he enjoyed his work nonetheless. Despite this, word of who had defeated Shen was spreading far and wide throughout China, even extending across borders. In wake of this recent battle, not many dared to attack the Valley and its protectors directly. A welcomed break for the masters of the Jade Palace.

He smiled.

This reminded him of the time, several years ago, when he first witnessed kung fu. He was out gathering some ingredients for his father just as he was now. It was funny really, he never expected it to happen in the way it did - finding out what he wanted to do in life. Life is strange like that. Everything had turned out well for him in his journey of discovery. He'd finally made a name for himself in the world of kung fu, defeated the evil Tai Lung and tyrant Lord Shen, and found inner peace all in a span of a few years. He wasn't done yet though. There are still a few kung fu legendaries he has yet to surpass, and he isn't going to stop until hes outdone them all.

Him. One lone, lazy panda.

A shadow appeared from the blindspot along the road. Po glanced over. It was just an old fox drifting down the path towards the village. Travellers had become an increasingly usual sight on roads leading to the Valley recently. His dad was happy as it meant more customers but Po thought it just meant more opportunities for crime. And he was right, unfortunately.

Three more shadows appeared but from the brush down the road. Two of them with swords, a snow leopard and a wolf, spread out onto the side of the road. The third, an unarmed and hefty looking gorilla, stood in the middle, blocking the entire path ahead. They didn't seem to notice him quietly picking shrooms on the far side of the road.

The old fox approached the three and attempted to go around but was stopped by one of them. "Excuse me, I'd just like to get through."

The wolf eyed him. Their target was rich, that much was clear from the exorbitant clothes he was sporting. "Sorry, but you're not getting through unless you pay up."

"Pay?" Puzzled, he looked at the three men, unsure of what was going on.

"Road tax. You need to pay a fee to use these roads."

Po picked up his head. There was no road tax in the Valley of Peace.

"I've never heard of a road tax before. I thought these roads were free to use for the public."

"Not anymore. Now pay up so you can move along."

"What? No." He said sternly.

"Tsk tsk. You're asking for trouble. Don't be bold old man." The snow leopard advised him.

"I'm not paying you a single yuan!" The fox began to make his way around again but the wolf quickly grabbed him and shoved him to the floor.

"Pay the goddamn fee or we'll cut you up right here and take everything you have!" The wolf waved his sword in front of their victim.

Po quickly dropped the basket carrying his stuff and started sprinting over to the commotion. "HEY! What are you doing?! Get away from him!"

"Look! Is that him? It is! It's him! It's the Dragon Warrior!" The snow leopard clutched his weapon tightly. They knew the risks of pillaging around here but ignored them completely. He sheathed his weapon. It simply wasn't worth it."Guys, lets get out of here. This is more than we bargained for. There's no way he can catch us if we run. I told you it wasn't a good idea to do this in the Valley of Peace!" He started to back up along with his other partner in crime; the gorilla, however, didn't move an inch.

"Hey, aren't you coming Cheng?" The wolf asked, poised to go.

"No. I decided on doing it here and I'm going to do it here with or without you two."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not a spineless coward like you two."

"Okay. You're on your own man."

Po saw two of the criminals leaving the scene just as he arrived. "Great. Now I just have to deal with the big guy." He muttered. "Hey, I'm here to help." Po lifted the old fox to his feet.

A look of relief washed over the his face. "Thank you Dragon Warrior."

"Mind staying out of the way while I deal with him?"

"Of course."

 _All right, time to get down to business. I'd rather not fight this guy._

Po eyed the gorilla. He was built like a tank and surely wasn't your run of the mill, everyday thug. It would be best to avoid confrontation. "I'll give you one chance to give up. If you take it I'll make sure to-"

"Shut it, it's not going to happen." The gorilla interjected.

 _Well I tried._

The panda made a beeline for him. Cheng swung wildly as he approached but Po ducked under the swing just in time.

"Can't hit what ain't there!"

He threw another but it missed and hit the ground, stirring up some dust and leaving him wide open. Capitalizing, Po inflicted a solid punch to the core of the ape to no effect. Seeing the results of his attack, he quickly used his foot to push off the gorilla's chest, and followed up with a strong kick to the chin. The gorillas head snapped to one side from the force of the kick but his muscles managed to keep the blow from whipping his head around and breaking his neck, as it would with any other species. Dazed, Cheng grabbed the panda and hurled him into the forest in order to create some distance.

Po impacted with one of the forest trees. The trunk snapped in two and he dropped to the ground like a rock. Groaning, he rubbed his head and took a minute to orient himself as his opponent was doing the same. That one attack had nearly knocked him out instantly. No way he was taking any chances with this guy. Conventional attacks wouldn't work on him but Po had some aces up his sleeve thanks to some recent training. He'd have to thank Shifu for this technique if it worked. Po moved back onto the road as a little space was needed for this. He tried to visualize the pressure points from that diagram Shifu showed him on his opponent.

Cheng had fully recovered and was heading Po's way. "I'm gonna rip you limb from limb!" He growled.

The ape was coming at full speed. There was no stopping that thing head on. One solid blow from him with that much energy and it would be all over for Po and the fox. It was time to end it here and now. Po tried to visualize the pressure points from the scroll Shifu showed him on his opponent.

He saw his opening.

Using his superior agility, the panda easily sidestepped the gorilla as he charged him. Cheng's speed worked against him and kept him from turning fast enough to counter the Dragon Warrior's movements. Just as Cheng was about to pass him, Po swiftly jabbed his index finger into several pressure points on the gorilla's body, paralyzing him instantly. A blue wave of chi pulsated across the ape's body before he fell to the ground. His opponent's eyes turned turquoise.

"Yes! Feel the thunder! Whoo!"Po stopped to catch his breath for a moment before admiring the effects of his newly learned attack. Tai Lung had tried to use this technique on him but fortunately he had some immunity as a panda. Remembering the fox, Po walked over to where he was watching from on the side of the road. "Hey, are you all right?"

The old fox chuckled "I think it's me who should be asked you that. But yes, I'm fine. Thank you so much. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"No problem. Just doing my duty as Dragon Warrior."

"No really, I probably would've died if you weren't there."

Po stopped for a second and looked over the fox. "Don't mention... hey you look familiar. Aren't you... wait! You're the owner of that new fancy restaurant I've been wanting to try in the Valley - the Golden Wok. And you're Mr. Han right?"

"Oh, you know me?"

"Of course! Everyone in the Valley says you have great food."

"It is truly an honor to be recognized by the Dragon Warrior. You know, I remember when you used to work at Ping's Noodle Shop. I tried some of your dishes and your cooking is phenomenal. If you weren't the Dragon Warrior, I'd hire you."

"Wow! Thanks."

"Oh, don't thank me. I'm the one who should be thanking you. If there is anything, and I mean absolutely anything, I can do for you please let me know."

"No, it's fine. Do you want me to walk with you to the village just in case any more thugs show up?"

"Oh no. I wouldn't want to trouble you any more than I already have. I can handle myself from here on out. By the way, is there actually a road tax?"

"You can use the roads all you want free of charge."

"Great. Well, I must be getting back to my restaurant. Thanks again and take care." The fox said leaving towards the village.

"You too. Bye."

Po quickly went back to retrieve his basket. He still had to deliver these ingredients to his father and he would probably be mad that he's late. Then he realized something. As he walking down the road he picked up the pace to catch up with the fox.

"Hey. Mr. Han! Wait!"

"Yes? What do you need?"

"There is one thing you could do for me."

* * *

Several days later...

Po had come out of his shell ever since he became a kung fu master but if this failed he was going back in again and throwing out the key. He had no idea what to expect since he knew so little about Tigress in this regard. She was a complete wildcard. However, that was a risk he was willing to take.

 _Confidence. Remember what Monkey said._

Po took one last look at himself with the Dragon Scroll before tossing it onto his bed and heading out into the barracks hallway. At the moment, it was just him and Tigress at the Palace. Shifu was at the Dragon Grotto meditating and the rest of the Five were doing their own thing down in the village.

This was going to be his toughest mission yet.

* * *

A few petals from the Peach Tree whisked into the palace and lightly caressed the waters of the Moon Pool; one of them landed right on top of an orange nose. She twitched and plucked the petal off her face. The disturbance continued it's smooth glide down and joined the others Shifu had sprinkled into the water; he did so in remembrance of Oogway. Tigress had come to the Moon Pool to meditate in hopes of achieving inner peace. Any user of the technique would be granted greatly increased perception, dexterity, reaction time, and heightened senses. It was the ultimate battle powerup. It had its limits though since it was taxing on the mind and body but if used sparingly it could change the tide of battle, as demonstrated recently by the Dragon Warrior. He had begun to use it in their spars, making them even more brutal than they already were; the others even stopped what they were doing sometimes just to watch. Tigress always won, as usual, but she believed it was more out of his lack of a good reason than skill. Some achieved inner peace through pain and suffering, as Shifu did, others, through time and patience. She hoped it would be the latter for her.

It is said that the pool is able to provide answers to the most difficult of problems. Unfortunately for tiger, however, her problems weren't getting any better and meditation proved difficult with an unsteady mind. She could thank Shen for that. He was the whole reason she was here trying to attain inner peace.

Ever since the battle she constantly scolded herself for her incompetence as team leader and lack of sufficient battle prowess. Everyone had nearly gotten killed because she didn't see it coming. She should've. It was her responsibility. As a warrior you're supposed to protect your comrades, but that ability seemed to escape her that day. If only she was stronger she would've been able to keep up with it all. Inner peace would grant her that strength. Great strength.

Her ears twitched. Someone was approaching.

* * *

Po knew the feline didn't like to be disturbed by anyone while meditating but the stars had aligned and the Jade palace was finally empty. Tigress always made an exception for him anyway but he didn't know that. He stood nervously, casually leaning on a pillar outside the main palace doors that led to the Hall of Heroes and Moon Pool. This was it.

 _Relax Po. Relax. Loosen the shoulders. Stand up straight._

Po walked over to the entrance but hesitated just as he was about to go through.

 _Come on, you're the Dragon Warrior. Have some backbone!_

Po let out a long exhale. "Okayyy."

 _Lets do it._

He opened the doors.

There she was sitting lotus style by the Moon Pool. He walked over to her and saw that a few candles were lit on the sides for ambience. He saw her ear twitch as he entered but besides that she didn't react to his presence. Was she annoyed? That would be bad.

Po felt his heart nearly at his throat as he wrung his hands together. Just thinking that what he was about to do could completely ruin their friendship was enough to give him butterflies in his stomach.

 _Do it._

"Ahem... Tigress."

"Yes?" She didn't move.

"Were friends right?"

"Indeed."

"And friends are supposed to get to know each other better right?"

"I suppose so." She stopped what she was doing and stood up.

"Um..." He paused. This was a lot harder to do when they were face to face. "...so, I was gonna head down to the Valley and try out this new restaurant that opened up with Monkey and Mantis tonight but they kind of don't feel good. So I was thinking, do you want to come? Just to like, you know, hang out?"

"Okay."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Awesome, I was thinking at six, a few hours from now... in the evening?"

"Is anyone else coming?"

"Oh, no. Uh, it was just going to be the two of us."

She nodded knowingly and took a step closer. "That doesn't really sound like hanging out Po."

"What do you mean?"

"It sounds like you're asking me out on a... what is that called? When you like someone and you're asking them on... what?"

"A date.

"Ah."

"Yes, I'm asking you on a date... Tigress. Please come to my date?"

She smirked. "Okay."

* * *

 ** _Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed._**


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